Mike Conley was a victim to a knee to the face which didn’t leave a whole in his face like Russell Westbrook. Instead he was left with facial reconstruction surgery, which left him out of a couple games in the first round against Portland and Game 1 against the Golden State Warriors. Despite his injuries, the Grizzlies were essentially doomed without him in the 2nd round, and he turned around the series single handily for them.
Despite doing so, his pain and process is something Conley hated going through. According to Rob Mahoney of Sports Illustrated:
Conley’s jaw was in such a state that he could only attempt to eat tiny servings of apple sauce. It would have to do. He ate what he could and followed the rules to the letter. His body had other plans; whether due to how little he could choke down, the strength of his painkiller’s dosage, or a combination thereof, Conley spent his night revisiting every bit of food or drink he dared to put in his system.
“That night, I was throwing up,” Conley said. “And every time I threw up—because when you do it, you can’t really control this—I’d have to open my mouth. It would just kill me because I couldn’t really open my mouth. Then, all of a sudden, blood would come out of my nose and I was like: I think I’m dying. It was crazy.”
It seems like Conley did NOT enjoy the pain. Many former players have commented on the injury and other Playoff injuries. According to some former players, winning reduces the pain. If so, the Grizzlies really need to pull it together for Game 6 in Memphis on Friday. Facing elimination, Conley and the Grizzlies can take it to game 7 against the best team in the NBA.
